SOUND ADVICE: A Viberatto remains true to itself on new album

They're at it again. They knew full well the world was anxiously awaiting new vibraphone music, and this new release, "A Viberatto B" will not disappoint the masses.

Leopard Studios (Stone Ridge) head honcho Jimmy Goodman is once again hovering over the vibes with his sure, true touch and clever sense of melody.

He is aided and abetted by Kol Marshall (bass, piano and synth) and multi-instrumentalist Guthrie Lord.

This core group is graced with appearances by Ross Rice (piano) and Von Cello (cello).

The starting point here with the vibraphone in the forefront is that you're not going to hear typical sounds and textures of the normal guitar band. And that's a good place to be -- and without clichés starring them in the face, twists and turns appear effortlessly. Like in the opening track "Ruthless," an anxious, rushing affair where angular strings battle the round liquid tones of the vibraphone to a close draw. The pensive "Blowing Leaves" harks back to a time when folks used rakes. not leave blowers.

The somewhat sentimental "Across the Prairie" is a cinematic journey down Route 66 as you can almost see the horizon slowly moving away. "Lovely" is certainly that, while "Faint Star" is darker, dramatic and a (gasp) guitar even shows up for some emotional, string-bending thrills.

The hopeful "Growing" is much more optimistic, and the futuristic "Winter of 2025" is chilly and crisp, as if performed in a walk-in refrigerator (like those in a supermarket). making it's vision clean and clear.

There's no lyrics here, not a word, but A Viberatto sure says a lot, about life and being in the moment.

With most of the music world chasing after instant fame, and, therefore, putting out predictable, formulatic records, it's nice when someone just makes good music to make good music and isn't afraid to sound like themselves. Well done!

A Viberatto will hold it's CD release party at the BSP Lounge in Kingston on Thursday.

David Malachowski is a guitarist, producer and freelance journalist living in the Hudson Valley.